National Public Lands Day volunteer opportunities
Tracy Ross/Sky-Hi News
National Public Lands Day is this Saturday and there are volunteer opportunities available for residents of Grand County. Public Lands Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Saturday of September and promotes both the enjoyment of public lands, while also educating the public about conservation.
Grand County has one of the longest continuously running National Public Lands Day celebrations in the country, and the Headwaters Trails Alliance is inviting everyone to volunteer in the celebration. This is the 29th year of celebrating NPLD.
On Sept. 23 there will be volunteer projects for every skill level, most of which happen from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at various locations around the county. Then starting at 4 p.m. there will be a NPLD celebration in Polhamus Park in Granby. Live music, food trucks, booths and giveaways will all be at the celebration. Individuals don’t need to volunteer on a project in order to join in the festivities at the park.
The volunteer projects range from family friendly and easy to more strenuous and challenging projects.
Some of the easier projects include staining bridges on the Fraser River Trail, weeding Kopper’s Park, reseeding and raking the new trailhead at Himebaugh Gulch and more. For people seeking a moderate challenge there is trail maintenance on the “Razzmatazz” bike trail, collecting native seeds and weeding, building buck and rail fencing, and more. For people with the ability to hike 1.3 miles uphill, they can aid in the Green Mountain Trail reroute where volunteers will use hand tools to excavate a new trail, chop plant matter and move rocks and logs.
The Friends of Berthoud Pass is collecting trash on the top of Berthoud Pass on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. for people who are unable to volunteer on Saturday or wish to keep the NPLD festivities going. There will also be a barbecue held in the Berthoud Pass parking lot afterwards.
Interested participants can sign up online where they can view the list of projects. Registered participants will be emailed the day before the event with more details.
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